THE goalkeepers’ union has had a busy week, I wonder when we will get anything useful out of them.
Joe Hart, Peter Schmeichel and David de Gea have all spoken out in support of Tottenham’s Antonin Kinsky after his horror show in Tuesday’s 5-2 defeat at Atletico Madrid.
They have all also hit out at Igor Tudor for killing Kinsky’s career.
That is hard to argue with — the kid was hung out to dry for all the world to see.
But football is not a nice sport. It is about winning and there is always plenty of backstabbing going on.
Not one of those keepers or pundits appears to have mentioned the fact that Kinsky — 23 yesterday — sulked straight down the tunnel after being brutally subbed in the 17th minute, followed by team-mates trying to console him.
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Had an outfield player been hooked and done that, they would be slaughtered for abandoning their pals.
Kinsky did just that and everyone is on his side — not one former goalkeeper is questioning or explaining what actually happened.
Why was he wearing studs that allowed him to fall over?
How has he got himself into a situation where he seems to just be shanking the ball straight to Atletico players?
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No one has explained why this happens or how it can be fixed but give an ex-goalkeeper a commentary position and they’ll freely hammer strikers for not taking chances they know little about, while we won’t hear a bad word against a keeper.
Perhaps it is what we should expect from them, though. They are all very, very different to outfield players.
I played with some relatively normal ones in Ben Foster and Heurelho Gomes.
Both of them are wonderful people but will tell you themselves that goalkeepers see the game differently to any other player.
There is an assumption from almost all keepers that a shot should be blocked before it ever reaches them, someone else should be doing the work for them and that they should never have to make a save.
That can rub some up the wrong way but we all knew they were vital to the team. They are a different breed but integral to a good side.
It is why, as both Tottenham and Chelsea did this week, you cannot mess about with your first-choice.
It has to be clear to give confidence to everyone else in the team.
Chelsea were beaten 5-2 away at Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.
Blues boss Liam Rosenior keeps telling us he does not have a first-choice goalkeeper. Why not?
That is an indictment of where the club are at that they cannot name a high-level goalkeeper.
It sounds like while he is telling the world there is not a first-choice, Filip Jorgensen has been told that he is.
That might be good for him but if the whole team, club and fanbase do not know, then there is uncertainty.
Ask Rosenior who his No 1 midfielder and striker are and he would have clear answers.
If you cannot trust the man between the sticks behind you, it can cause all sorts of problems.
At Watford we once lost Gomes with 15 minutes to go in a game at Aston Villa.
Giedrius Arlauskis replaced him from the bench and you could feel the change immediately.
Arlauskis was unbelievable in training, threw himself about and you wanted him in your team.
Chelsea ratings vs PSG: Jorgensen has ‘Kinsky moment’ as Fofana struggles but Enzo continues to impress
CHELSEA face a Champions League exit after being hit for FIVE by rampant PSG — with keeper Filip Jorgensen having a SHOCKER.
The Parisians got off to a flyer through Bradley Barcola before Malo Gusto leveled.
But Ousmane Dembele restored the lead after a lightning 14-second counter-attack.
Enzo Fernandez sparked hope but the Blues were undone by a horror show at the back.
Vitinha punished a Jorgensen clanger before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia took control.
The 5-2 defeat leaves Enzo Maresca’s side needing a miracle at Stamford Bridge to progress.
This is how SunSport Chelsea Reporter Lloyd Canfield rated the Blues…
But at Villa Park he shanked everything he touched and it made everybody else nervous, the whole squad thinking, ‘I hope he doesn’t f*** up or give it away’.
There was a sense of fear through the whole team. We conceded in the 89th minute to ensure a nervy finish but managed to hold on for a win.
Arlauskis had a stinker and never played again.
Now it wasn’t a nasty reaction or us thinking he was not good enough.
We all liked him but it was one of those things where you think, ‘No, it can’t happen again’.
That is where Chelsea and Spurs might find themselves now.
You cannot win anything unless you can rely on your keeper.
There are not many high-level keepers across the Premier League and even fewer who can make in-game decisions on their own.
Jorgensen and Kinsky continued to try and play out from the back and were punished — but Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois saved everything and got an assist by going long against Manchester City.
You don’t have to be fancy to be the greatest, just reliable.